


Downtime

by TheatricalAssassin



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Bonding, Command Trine - Freeform, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Lazy Days, Lazy Mornings, Seeker Trines, Slice of Life, Team Bonding, downtime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9696965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheatricalAssassin/pseuds/TheatricalAssassin
Summary: A good day on the Nemisis is rare, war makes it hard for there to be any good times amongst the mechs in the proud Decepticon army,  but some days are just there to be lazy.





	1. Beginning of a Good Day

**Author's Note:**

> For a Fledgling, requesting 
> 
> "starscream having a good day, where no one is mean or scheming. just a good day."

Early morning on the Nemesis usually meant one of two things, one: the Autobots are trying something and a counter strike needs to be organized last cycle, or two: absolutely nothing is going on and no one has any pressing duties that needs to be done immediately. Starscream meandered into the mostly vacant mess hall, only a handful of mechs sat at various points of the hall including their Glorious Leader, Megatron. The mech sat gnawing at his morning energon squinting at the sunlight that had the audacity to be in his face this early in the morning. The seeker shambled over to the dispenser to obtain his cube of energon and “morning joe” as the organics of this cursed planet called it.

Up until this moment Starscream saw no reason for this day to be special, if he was lucky maybe he'd get to do some research. He sat down a few tables away from Megatron and dug into his breakfast, absent mindedly staring off into the distance. Megatron put down his energon, a look that the second in command struggled to describe spread across his face plates. 

“Bridge, this is Megatron. I need you to shift our barpat... yea one six five. Thanks” 

And this was the moment that the day went from good to great. At first, it looked like nothing had happened, that Megatron was simply informed of a course error and he corrected it, and then he saw it. Slowly but surely Starscream saw the sunlight begin to move off of Megatron's face. Within moments it had shifted totally off of him and onto the wall, he blinked a few times and made eye contact with his second. Exhaustion coated his frame and with a curt “mhhhmm” he continued on his morning ration. That was the moment the day really started. Scarfing down his ration Starscream made his way to the Bridge figuring that Thundercracker would be there. TC is one of the rare breed in the Decepticons who actually  _ is _ a morning person, but generally speaking he is not a people person, so his status as a “morning person” is rather moot. 

Walking onto the bridge is usually a mixed bag, this early in the morning generally none of the officers are awake so all of the Decepticons who were scheduled for nothing better during these hours would end up doing the graveyard shifts. Then there were those who  _ had _ better things to do but were doing them remotely, on the bridge, because of reasons. In TC’s case this was because he had the better view, where he can sit on the far side of some control panel so that he’s just far enough away from the buttons so that they don’t accidentally set something off because when there’s a elevated platform there’s this unspoken agreement amongst all mechs. You gotta sit on it. 

“Good Morning Thundercracker” Starscream said in a chipper tone “Any progress on... whatever it is you’re doing.” He climbed up onto the control panel with Thundercracker and leaned into him

“Pretending to write reports while I’m writing my play.” Thundercracker responded tersely 

Starscream leaned in close to Thundercracker’s audials, mere inches away from the other mech’s helm “You know Megatron doesn’t give half a slag right, have you  _ read _ Skywarp’s reports? He doesn’t care just like the rest of us.” 

Rolling his optics TC gave Starscream one of his rare content smiles “Speaking of Skywarp, he wanted to see you. Figured that I knew where you were.”

“Getting my morning ration, obviously.” Starscream interjected 

“Sure, but you know ‘warp, bit on the forgetful side.” Thundercracker put his datapad down, “He said he found something “real cool” that you’d be interested in, he’s in our quarters.” 

“Remember for your historical play to put in “That Time Starscream Went on a Fetch Quest For Skywarp”’ 

Waving the would-be playwright off, Starscream made the trek  _ back _ to his quarters. Not very far but still the idea that he had to go back after spending his morning trying to shamble to the mess hall. Right as he was about to open the door to their quarters Skywarp appeared, quite literally, in front of him. 

“Screamer!” Skywarp shouted “Did TC tell you what I found?” Excitement was absolutely plastered all over his face, if you take taken a pie tin full of whipped cream and then thrown it at his face it wouldn’t be nearly as representative of how much excitement covered his face at the present moment. 

“He said you thought it was cool.” Starscream groaned from the floor 

_ “It is so very cool and I think you’re gonna freak when you see it” _ he said in possibly the most intense voice Starscream has heard from him in cycles. 

Skywarp grabbed Starscream by the wrist and with a zap and pop sound they were instantly on the hull of the Nemesis, and before Starscream could say anything Warp shoved a box into his hands. The mech didn’t react, still reeling from the sudden teleportation. When he finally registered that there is in fact a box in his hands he wasn’t sure if he should open it. After all this is  _ Skywarp _ we’re talking about, it could be any manner of things, an a prank is the most likely. He shot a glance up to the purple and black seeker, it provided no answer as to if it was a prank, a gift, or anything else. Taking a moment and a deep breath, he closed his optics and opened the box. Nothing happened, slowly he opened one optic and looked down into the box and saw something he hasn’t since the start of the war. Something from Vos before it had fell. 

“Well?” Skywarp said eagerly “What do you think?”

Energy surged to Starscream’s optics, his breath caught in his chest, and a hand was clapped against his mouth. He was ready to break down right there. It’s a crystal headpiece that Starscream used to wear in Vos during his academy days. 

“It’s wonderful Skywarp, where did you even get this?” Emotion making his vocalizer wobbly 

“I didn’t, I had to bribe Shockwave to send me the materials to make it. I made one for TC to!” 

Starscream couldn’t believe it, that Skywarp had actually done this and pulled it off without either of his trine noticing. To what end? They hardly had the time or resources to just do something nice for each other at any given moment. 

“What brought this up?” Starscream asked “Did... did I forget your creation day? Or our Trine’s anniversary?” 

“No! It’s actually, possibly the only thing that I’ve learned about the humans that I really care about.”

“And what’s that?”

“They all each have holidays for relationships! I don’t remember when it was on Cybertron but here on earth it’s right about the time for one. Valentine’s Day I think?” 

Valentine's day, of course, all of the humans’ transmissions have been all about that lately. Sitting through human commercials while trying to watch news reports on energy sources was, in a word, hell. But it did apparently remind Skywarp that sometimes that you just gotta do something for your Trine, even though this is above and beyond what Starscream ever expected. What else did the humans do on Valentine’s Day? They always talked about love so clearly it's time to do something to show Skywarp just how much he cares for him, and not just because he made him something from home. He took Skywarp’s hand into his and looked him deep in the optics

“Warp, I know things have been hard since the war started, everything went to hell and so much has happened. I want you to know that, even though I'm always busy I still care about you. You are literally one third of my trine, you've always been there for Thundercracker and I, even when we haven't been there for you.” Starscream took a breath trying to get the words to become proper in his mind “We... Haven't been good trinemates, not since all this started. I want you to know that we  _ are  _ here for you and each other.”

Skywarp was taken back, he wasn't expecting Starscream to suddenly show emotion, or affection. The display seemingly out of the blue, his wings drooped realizing this. They stood there in silence, not really sure what to do with this can of worms that they've opened. They used to be so close before the war, and now they all three live together and see each other on a daily basis but couldn't be further apart. 

“Let's go find TC, I think he could use some of this Trine Bonding Time” Starscream said breaking through the silence

“If I've gotta suffer through you being all sappy and slag then so does he” Skywarp said laughing

“Let's go get Starsabered” he said “Today is definitely not a day that anything is happening and if I know those Autobots they won't make a move until we do, so today is  _ definitely  _ a “drink engex until we can't function anymore” day”

Making their way to the bridge the two dragged Thundercracker down to the rec room demanding that he tell them  _ all about  _ his play over drinks and energon goodies. The trio made short work of their first round and Thundercracker wasn't even out of act 1, yet they were laughing as if nothing was going on. They drank, they laughed, they told stories of missions and days past. Spending precious time with each other that they haven't had for many stellar cycles. 


	2. For There is Nowhere I would Rather Be, Than Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night that was probably to remember, Skywarp and Starscream talk while Thundercracker snoozes his way through Trine Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Fledgeling, who requested another chapter for this but focusing on Skywarp.

Skywarp doesn’t care too much for the actual politics of the army anymore. There’s just too much of it, honestly it’s gotten to the point where they’re just as bad as the Autobots about paperwork, thankfully though they also don’t really care about paperwork. The only people who ever does them with any sense or order and care are people like Shockwave or Soundwave, basically anyone who is in some STEM field. Anyone else just made sure the numbers were right and Megatron wouldn’t care, hasn’t for as long as the mech has needed to put in paperwork. Of the trine, he was the first one up this time, and this meant he got to see just how badly they managed to get fragged up the solar cycle before. He remembered Starscream dragging them down to all get totally wrecked but after some shots of high grade engex it all became a blur. 

Their shared quarters has three berths and normally the somewhat clean room had them take their recharges lined up in the order of (if one were standing from the door) Thundercracker, Starscream, Skywarp. However much to Skywarp’s amusement and Starscream’s future chagrin this is not how it ended up when they made it back. Starscream had somehow managed to get a bucket stuck on his head and appeared to be clutching the jukebox from the rec room. By the Thirteen Starscream actually stole it didn’t he. It took every ounce of self control Skywarp had to not laugh out loud when he saw this, and then he saw Thundercracker.

Thundercracker had somehow gotten engravings all over the more delicate part of his wings, they were in that fancy High Vosnian pattern that were supposed to tell some story. Following the engraving on his wings he saw that there was papers all over his aft. So much so that it looked like there were papers coming  _ out _ of his aft. Decepticons don’t even  _ use paper where did all of this come from. _ In his right servo he clutched a half finished bottle of engex and in his left what looked like an ornate quill that he’d managed to get from Swindle some orns ago. The combination of his two trinemates, passed out looking like this was just too much. He started laughing as if he would never laugh again, laughing so hard you’d think that Megatron had just handed off the leadership of the whole faction to him. Breathlessly wheezing at the sight of them he knew that this could only have just begun. 

Groaning echoed quietly as Starscream shifted and sat up from the floor, his hands groggily trying to find purchase on the berth. Figuring that he’ll probably need help getting the Discount Megatron costume off, Skywarp took to his feet and put his servos on each side of Starscream’s head and began pulling. However the sudden pressure is not something Starscream was prepared for, and he screamed. His shriek pierced the stars that he was named after and Warp stumbled back, bucket in tow. 

Loud, thunderous thumping came screaming into the room as Soundwave burst in ready to take on the intruder... only to find one seeker still unconscious, one on the floor who it looks like his life just flashed before his optics, and another who is just losing his mind holding a bucket. 

“What in the actual  _ fuck _ .” Soundwave emphasised his utter bafflement at the scene playing out before him by using a rare human swear 

“Well you see, Soundwave,” Skywarp started catching his breath between words “The Trine and I all got starsabered yesterday”

“I recall” He responded

“Well Starscream had his head stuck in a bucket, and I scared him.”

Unblinking Soundwave couldn’t believe that this is what he come in here for, the stoic mech almost wished there was actually a fight at least then there would have been a little excitement. Without another word he left, honestly having better things to do than see if the trine was okay. Starscream having recovered from his little spook looked over to Skywarp

“So, since you’re the first up I assume you have a plan for today.” He said expectantly 

“Since TC looks like he’ll be passed out for a lot longer,” Skywarp started, staring over at their fallen trinemate “I think we should sneak out.” Starscream looked unimpressed to say the least

“Sneak out.” He said flatly “That’s your plan.”

“Yes” Skywarp said

“You do realize that we can leave whenever we want, and no one will try to stop us.” Starscream asked

“You suck the fun out of everything.” He pouted 

“No, because I have a better idea, you know it’s TC’s creation day soon right?” 

“Of course! I don’t forget things like you do” Skywarp snarked

“Oh bite me you fragger, you know I can barely remember  _ my  _ creation day” He threw back playfully “Anyway I know there’s this place on this dirtball that’s actually good for focus and thinking creatively”

“And what is that?” Skywarp asked

“Just follow me, and help me carry TC” He said standing up and brushing off all of the papers that covered Thundercracker’s aft “Do I even want to know?”

“My dude I don’t even know” Skywarp said helping get everything off of the blue-black seeker 

Once they’d cleared everything off of him the two put an arm over each of their shoulders and hoisted him to his feet, thank Primus he was the exact same frame type as them or this would probably be awful. Interlocking the wing that is closest to Thundercracker’s they were able to get an additional bit of balance, which made dragging him out of the room all the easier. They walked down the hallway all three of them together, Skywarp with the biggest grin on his face because if he were to be honest? This was the most amount of time that they all had actually spent together that wasn’t work. While Starscream mostly took the lead Skywarp didn’t see any harm in talking while they made their way outside. He tried to get Screamer to give him a hint as to where they were going, try to use his own silver tongue to his advantage, but to no avail. Starscream saw where he was going with it and only would respond with “You’re gonna love it.”

Flying while carrying someone who is otherwise not able to fly is, in a word, horrible. Skywarp doesn’t know how those Autobots do it, the ones that  _ do _ fly almost always carry around their grounders as if they were a glorified space taxi. Carrying a heavy sleeper who  _ can fly  _ but is simply not even awake is awful in of itself but, he decided that today it would be worth putting up with it because if it’ll make TC happy then maybe the trip wouldn’t be in vain. 

They flew for what felt like cycles, and knowing Starscream there was a good chance of that, there was also a good chance that he didn’t know where they were even going, but he followed his trine leader without question. Moving with him, feeling the currents of the atmosphere and moving in compliance with it instead of fighting with it. Starscream pulled them down towards the ground and ‘Warp followed suit. Carefully they landed and put Thundercracker on the ground. There he saw it, the place that Starscream was so insistent on keeping quiet about (for once). He had never seen trees taller than himself, stone that he couldn’t easily crush underfoot. Everything not only was in a varity of greens and browns, but to scale. Everything looked like it was scaled to fit them. 

“You know, sometimes I wish we got here first.” Starscream said breaking the silence “Maybe then we could just be here and not be bothered.”

“It’s not your fault that the Autobots are good at getting people to hate us” Skywarp said “It’s hard to come back from ‘Oh you see  _ those _ big scary machines over there? Well they’re gonna bleed your planet dry and kill you all!’, ain’t your fault that Prime and them got to them first.” He gestured wildly while he spoke, imitating the Autobot leader’s posture. 

Starscream said nothing, and instead sat down on the grass staring at the world before him. Crossing his legs and just taking it all in. He reached up and took Skywarp’s servo and gave a gentle tug towards him, towards the ground. 

“TC will love this you know, bet you he’ll come here every chance he gets.” Skywarp said smiling

“You know what he used to say back in Vos?” Starscream asked “That the planet has it’s own trine version of a trine call, it’s own song from the spark.”

Skywarp sat there for a moment, mulling over what Screamer just told him “I remember him telling us that, that was before the war.”

“I’m starting to believe that this planet does to, listen” 

Skywarp wasn’t sure where he was going with this but he did it anyway. He closed his optics and focused on everything around him, how the wind moves through the trees, the bird song, each and every little sound. His hearing wasn’t as good as other mechs, but he could hear well enough, and he could see where the planet has it’s own call. He could hear how gently Starscream’s intake was, trying to be soundless while Thundercracker slept. The sleeping seeker’s name still ringing true even in recharge, loud snoring echoing into the trees. More importaintly he could hear his own trine call. He could hear the beat and hum of his trinemates louder than ever and sweetest as they’ve sounded in centuries. He never wanted it to end, and he hoped it never would. 


	3. Home Among The Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny for your thoughts, and a song between trinemates, after so much lost in a tireless war it is high time for recconnection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a Fledgeling, who requested that Thundercracker have a good day as well

The sound of birds filled the air, rustling in the bushes as creatures rush to cover. Thundercracker opened his optics and saw a brilliant blanket of stars and galaxies. He quickly realized that this was not the Nemsis. Sitting up he saw his two trine mates chasing each other in an open field before the forest he had been sleeping in. Starscream had a good distance on Skywarp, but with each step he can see the smile of mischief that spread throughout Skywarp’s face plates. Starscream dashed ahead as fast as his pedes could carry him but Skywarp was easily gaining on him, with a burst of speed Starscream was able to pull ahead and put some real distance on him but to no avail Skywarp would always win this battle. He teleported just a few steps behind their trine leader and tackled him. The two seekers laughed merrily, there was a level of mirth and joy that Thundercracker heard coming from them that he hasn’t heard in a very very long time. He sat there looking at them for a moment wondering what possessed them to bring him out here, or if this is just the result of the bender that they went on and they just ended up out here and they were just waiting for him to wake up before they left. “I will never leave a fallen soldier” apparently. The two had taken now to fighting, but Thundercracker knew that it wasn’t serious, they weren’t brawling but were just having a goof. Skywarp cast a glance over Thundercracker’s way and upon seeing that the formerly sleeping mech is now online he pointed very aggressively towards him. Within a moment there was the crackling snap of Skywarp bending space-time to appear before Thundercracker.

“Yo TC you’re finally awake!” He yelled excitedly while allowing his body to just fall onto the blue seeker “that only took forever.”

“Now you’re making me wish I could go back to sleep.” Thundercracker grunted under the weight of his trinemate. 

“Nah you can’t do that” Skywarp said, pinning him to the ground

“And why is that” He said wiggling his arms in _just the right_ _position_ to push ‘Warp off of him

“Because, this is the perfect place for you to work on your thing.”

His thing? Did Skywarp mean his play? That was the only thing Thundercracker could think of, why would they suddenly take interest in it? The play itself is a historical one, but he never divulged the details about it and they’ve certainly never asked despite the numerous jokes they’ve made about it. 

“Starscream probably doesn’t remember but you were talking all about it while we were drinking and my dude I cannot wait to hear more of this.” Skywarp said pulling himself into a comfortable sitting position

Oh, so he has talked about it. That would make sense then. 

“Starscream doesn’t remember what.” The seeker said walking up to join his trine 

“That I read you my play, evidently” Thundercracker said noting that Starscream appeared to have new scuff marks all over his frame. 

“Skywarp is right, I don’t remember.” He responded

“That’s because you’re a drunk.” Skywarp snorted “I swear we get you started on one engex and the next time we turn around you’ve had ten.” He only laughed harder when Starscream shot him a disapproving look 

Starscream sat down next to Skywarp, now all three of them were sitting in a small circle. Each had perfect view of the other two without having to look too far to the left or the right. Thundercracker noted that the posture of his brothers-in-arms held a lot of history behind them, subtle notes of their past. Skywarp slouched, horribly, a noticeable curve in his back showed while he sat that could arguably be called a hunch; and his shoulders were not straightened at all. His wings rested lazily against the ground, the tell tale sign that he feels safe enough to let his guard down enough to relax his body like this. Starscream on the other hand, his posture was just as unnatural for him as it was professional and regal. While Skywarp sat with his legs crossed Starscream sat kneeling with his hands in his lap. His wings were held a perfect 45 degree angle and every part of him was just so rigid and straight it looked painful. Thundercracker could tell that the posture was something that he had to learn during the short time that he was involved in politics on Cybertron. The Iaconian mechs requiring a certain air of “I’m better than you” that at the time Starscream just didn’t have, a mask that he bore in the days before the war that he isn’t sure how to take off anymore. 

“So, you know I don’t actually have my play right.” Thundercracker said breaking the silence  “It’s back on the Nemesis” 

“It’s a good place to focus though isn’t it?” Starscream asked, his tone even. Thundercracker could still hear the Vosnian formality in his voice and see the subtlety in his body language that never truly left. “We thought you might like to come here to work on it when you’re off duty.” 

“I think I might,” He looked at his trinemates “It’s a great place to be when my primary source of inspiration isn’t available.” They looked at him confused, what could be his primary inspiration “You guys, you two are what keep me going every time we get word that the Autobots march. Every failure we suffer the both of you have always been there when we fall.” 

He reached out for both of them, holding his servos out stretched waiting for them to take them. Tentatively they did, slowly and cautiously as if he would have bit them. He held their servos in a gentle grip, loose enough that they could slip out of it if they felt the need. 

“All this time, after everything that’s happened,” he started “I only have you two left, and I’m fine with that. There is no where I would rather be, than here, by your sides.” 

The looks on their faceplates was enough to put some life back into Thundercracker’s weakened spark. This is all he needs, his two trinemates who both are trying very hard to do the jobs that have been given to them to the best of their ability. He wanted this to last forever, just the three of them in an impossible world where instead of hard circuitry and wires the world is soft grass and trees. The knowledge that they have to go back hung heavy in his spark, but he knows how he can make the best of it. From deep in his chassis came the beginning of an old song, one that they all had learned, a song that when they became a trine was one that resonated with them to their very core. The rise and fall of the already lyrical Vosnian dialect adding to Thundercracker’s song, singing of times under the stars and the wind sweeping through the towering spires. A tenor voice rose into the song, smoothly following the verses with his trinemate, where Thundercracker sung of the nature of the world around them Skywarp sung of the battles fought, and the hope that came with each time they raised their weapon. They sang their verses with care and care for each other. When they came upon the chorus Starscream’s voice slide in with not the formality that he has held as his mask, but with the knowledge and causality that he once held during his days as a scientist. His voice much higher than theirs contrasted greatly, but helped pull together everything. In his verses he sang of the risks that were taken that love that was found, the care of the brothers in arms, and the eternal bond of a trine. How alone they are scattered and lost, in a pair they are imbalanced and afraid, but together as three they are powerful and a force to be reckoned with. The song crescendoed as their voices echoed through the field and the forest, neo-cybex ringing true with the song of the planet, enhanced in ways that it couldn’t have been on Cybertron. 

It had been too long since they truly had a moment together as three, a moment where they were all sober and not assigned work. All off duty and just, enjoying each other’s company. Thundercracker scooted forward and buried his helm in the space between Skywarp’s and Starscream’s. He wrapped his arms around them and pulled them into the tightest hug he possibly could without causing them physical harm. When they reciprocated he pulled back, just enough to see their faces.

“I will  _ never _ let anything happen to you two, so long as I live.” He said, his normal booming voice uncharacteristically soft “Not an Autobot alive will ever take you away, never hurt you, not if I have anything to say about it.”

Never, never will it happen. He would never let any Autobot dare lay a servo on his trinemates. 


End file.
